Road machine



A. RONNING ET AL ROAD MACHINE Original Filed July 18,

June 24, 1930.

INVENTOR ANDREANGRONNING BY ADQLP RONNING A RNEY Patented June 24, 1930,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ADOLPH RONNING, OF MINNEAPOLI S, AND ANDREAN G. RONNING, DECEASED, LATE- OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA; BY ADOLPH RONNING, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNE- SO'IA, AND JACOB A. BONNING, EXECUTORS, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA ROAD monmn Original application filed July 18', 192A, SeriaLNo. 726,662, new Patent No. ,1,660,05o, datedlebruar'y 21, 1928. Divided and this application filed February 4, 1928. Serial No. 252,013.

This invention relates to road working machinery, and the primary object is to provide a combination tractor-gr ader machine, with which is operatively associated a container for surfacing materialthat is so arranged with rspect to the grader element and is provided with a feed or delivery mechanism that is connected with the engine of the tractor in such a manner that surfacing material such as sand, crushed rock, etc.,may be applied to the road, under regulated power feed, either in advance of or at the rear of the grader element,'selectively, as the machine advances .over the road or highway. Further and more specific objects will be disclosed in the course of the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine, the near traction wheel andvarious other parts being broken away for purpose of illustration.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation as seen-substantlally on the line 22 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the front'end of the machine. 1

' Fig. 4 is a fractional detail view as seen substantially on the line 4.4 in Fig. 2.-

This ap lication is a division of application Ser. 0. 726,662, filed July 18, 1924, for

' road grader, resulting in Patent No. 1,660,-

050, issuing February 21, 1928.

Refer'rin to the drawing more articularly, and %y reference characters, designates a tractor unit of the Fordson type, to which is secured and from which rearwardly extends an auxiliary frame B, a yoke C at the front end of the frame serving as a substitute for the usual or normal fore-carriage or steering truck of the tractor, which has been removed from the front end of the tractor. The construction of the frame B, its application to the tractor A, and other features, together with the method of and mechanisms for operating the machine which is thus formed, is illustrated and described in detail in the parent application above mentioned and also in co ending application, Ser. N 0. 717,511, filed une 3,1924.

secured, for transverse tilting movement, ya pivot 9,,to a casting 10, which is journaled to rotate on a vertical center from the frame B, and which is provided. with aworm gear 11 adapted to be actuated or rotated b a worm 12 on a transversely disposed sha 13. This shaft is operated by a steering column 14, having a hand wheel 15, through apair of bevel pinions which are not shown but are illustrated in the parent app1ication,.Ser. No. 726,662. The hand wheel 15 is arrangedwithin con-- venient reach of an operator when seated in a seat; 16 atthe rear end of themachine, so

that the-operator at this point may steer the machine while having all its parts within convenient visual observation.

It may here be noted that the machine is provided with a duplicate set of controls, so that the entire machine may be controlled either from the rear seat 16 or from the normal tractor seat 17.v In the steering device just described, steering may also be affected from the front or tractor seat by means of v an endless cable 18 that passes over a sheave 19 on the post 14 and a sheave 20 on the tractor steering post 21 having the hand wheel'22, said cable first passing over a laterally disposed idle pulley, as disclosed in Patent No. 1,660,050, Fig. 2.

-The usual clutch lever 23 and the gear shiftin lever 24 of the tractor may also be control ed from the rear seat 16 by extension devices, which may be desc'ribedas follows: The clutch lever 23, which is pivoted as at 25, is depressed by the foot of the operator (sitting in the seat 17) before the s eed lever 24 can be shifted. It is connected 'y a cable 26 to an arm 27 on the right hand end of a transverse shaft 28 journaled in the frame B. At its left end this shaft is provided with a pedal lever- 29, within leg reach of an operator in the seat 16.

The lever 24 is also controlled from the rear seat by a slidably journaled shaft 30 having a hand lever 31 at its rear end for turning and sliding the shaft. The front end of this shaft 30 has a finger 32 that universally engages a bracket 33, on the lever 24; so that by operating the hand lever 31, the lever 24 may be shifted transversely, and back and'forth, to effect the desired gear shift.

The construction and operation of the grading unit proper maybe briefly described as follows: The grader'or scraping blade 8 is secured by suitable brackets 34 to a circle 35 adjustably secured, for rotation about a vertical pivot to a frame 36. This frame is pivotally secured, as'by a loose pivot bolt.37 to the draw bar 38 of the tractor. At its rear end the frame 36 is provided with a transverse beam 39 the ends of which are carried by suspension links 40 from arms 41 at the rear ends of shafts 42. The front ends of the shafts 42 are provided with worm pinions 43 which mesh with worms 44 of laterally disposed hand wheels 45. Thus either or both ends of grader blade 8 may be manually raised or lowered, as desired, by operating the hand wheels 45.

Secured upon the rear part of the frame B is a large box or container 46 in which is placed the sand, crushed rock or road treat ing or surfacing material to be used. The

end walls of the box are provided at their lower ends with wide slots'47, through which, and over the floor 48 of the container, travels an endless conveyor belt 49. This belt operates over an idle shaft 50 in the rear of the frame B, and over a drive shaft 51 that is journaled in the frame in advance of, the

box 46. When the conveyor 49 is idle no appreciable amount of material will escape through the slots 47, as such material will have a tendency to choke up in the slots, and on the conveyor ends, but as soon as the conveyor is actuated, either forwardly or rearwardly it will feed the material out, at one end or the other of the box, whereupon it will fall upon the road bed either in advance or in the rear of the grading blade and roller.

The shaft 51- is provided, at its right end, with a friction disk 52 with which is associated a driving friction roller 53. The roller 7 53 is slidably keyed on a longitudinally extending shaft'54 that is journaled to the ,frame B, at one side, and is provided atits forward end with a bevel pinion 55 that meshes with a similar pinion 56 at the upper end of a shaft 57. The shaft 57 rotates in suitable bearings 58, and at its lower end is driven bygthe usual power shaft 59 of the tractor through suitable bevel pinions 6'0. Thefriction roller 53 is in constant frictional contact with the disk 52, but is radiall adjustable with respect thereto, such a justuient being effected by means of a fork 61 on the engine, but the conveyor 49 may be rendered idle by shifting the friction roller 53 to a position in alignment with the shaft 51 whereit will have no driving effect on the disk 52. When it is now desired to feed material from the box 46 and drop it down in frontof the grader blade the roller 53 is gradually moved forwardly whereupon it drives the disk and the upper run of the conveyor starts to feed forwardly. And, conversely, when it is desired to feed the material rearwardly, the hand lever 64, or 65, is moved rearwardly with a corresponding reversal of the conveyor drive, as the roller 53 will then engage the disk 52 rearward of its center.

It will thus be seen that a normal tractor converted to the attachment described comprises a single unit machine in which both the tractor and the road treating apparatus is within the complete control of a single operator or in which some of the controls may be manipulated by one operator while the remaining controls may be handled by a second operator and that the machine thus formed having a comparatively short wheel base and virtuallyonly a three wheel support contact with the road is capable of quickly responsive steering control by either or both of the operators. The essential advantage and function of' the machine'as" far as the herein claimed invention is concerned, however, is the fact that it incorporates, with a road grading tool, means for supplying material to the road surface either in advance or in the rear of the tool, selectively, as circumstances may require, and that such material supplying means may be power actuated so that it may be quickly set in motion in either direction, at the slightest effort of the operator, who is watching the road condition, both in advance and immediately in back of the blade as the machine is travelling over the road. This is a most vital and valuablev consideration, in a machine of this character, because it is often desirable in the proper treatment of a road, to provide surfacing'or treating material in advance of the blade in some instances, while back of it in other instances, depending upon various road conditions and planing or cutting depth of the grader blade.

The structure, object, and function of the invention thus having been described, what is claimed is:

1. The combination with a vehicle having a power element for propelling the same, of a container on the vehicle, a road working tool mounted for operation under the vehicle, and means adapted to be driven by said power element for discharging material from the container whereby it may be dropped upon the road in advance of or rear wardly of the tool, selectively.

2. The combination with a vehicle, of animplement arranged thereunder to be drawn therewith, a container arranged on the vehicle, and means for delivering material in the container to either end thereof so that such material may be selectively dropped either in front or rearwardly of the 1mplement.

3. The combination with a vehicle, of a road grader adjustably secured under the vehicle, a container arranged on the vehicle,

and a power operated mechanism for delivering material from either end of the container, selectively.

4. A combination tractor-grader, comprising a power vehicle having an operators station thereon, a grader blade arranged under the vehicle, a container carried on the vehicle, over the grader-blade, means for delivering material from either end of the container whereby such material may be selectively dropped upon the road either in advance or rearwardly of the grader blade.

5. A combination tractor-grader, comprising a power vehicle having an operators station thereon, a grader blade arranged under 'the vehicle, a container carried on the vehicle over the grader-blade, means for delivering material from either end of the container whereby such material may be 40 selectively dropped upon the road either in advance or rearwardly of the grader blade, and controls extending to within reach of the operator at said station, for controlling said delivery means and for adjusting the grader blade.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures at Minneapolis, Minnesota, this 28th day of January, 1928.

ADOLPH RONNING.

ADOLPH RONNING JACOB A. RoNmNd, Eweeutors of the Last Will and Testament of Andrean G. Bombing, Deceased. 

